Reports: Patriots add wide receivers coach

Multiple reports indicate the Patriots will name Chad O’Shea as their new wide receivers coach. O’Shea spent the last few years with the Vikings, having served as an offensive assistant with Minnesota from 2006 until earlier this month, when he was promoted to assistant special teams coach. Prior to that, Shea helped with special teams while coaching with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2003 to 2005.

The move is interesting on a couple of fronts. First of all, O’Shea was in his new job with Minnesota for less than a month before accepting a job with New England. Second, there is no love lost between the Vikings’ and Patriots’ front offices. The bad blood dates back to 2007, where New England coach Bill Belichick and Minnesota coach Brad Childress reportedly feuded over tight end Garrett Mills: After Mills was cut by the Patriots, Childress alleged that Belichick called him and asked him not to claim the tight end because he wanted to get him through to the practice squad. Childress went ahead and claimed Mills anyway, so in an apparent act of retaliation, Belichick claimed linebacker David Herron, who had just been cut by the Vikings and appeared ticketed for Minnesota’s practice squad, in the same fashion. More on the incident can be found here.